The Shapeshifters by Stefan Spjut Read Free Book Online

that’s what Mattias said he was doing.’
    â€˜How old is Mattias?’ asked Susso.
    â€˜Four,’ said Edit, pulling the shawl and the collar of her blouse tighter around her. She looked cold, but it was probably only a shudder going through her because then she said, almost in a whisper:
    â€˜You see, I was standing in the kitchen and then I heard the boy. He was talking to someone. Out here. “Why are you laughing?” he said.’ Edit had altered her voice to sound like her grandchild. ‘I thought he was playing a game, but then he said it again: “Why are you laughing?” He sounded almost angry, I thought, as if he was getting impatient. I was curious, of course, because he doesn’t have any friends. There are no other children in the village.’
    She turned round to face the house, pointing.
    â€˜He was sitting there on the steps with his hands on his backpack, as if he was afraid someone would take it from him. Then he looked over here, and when I came out I saw him. The little man. Here. Where we are standing now,’ said Edit.
    Susso took out her snus tin and opened it without taking her eyes off Edit.
    â€˜He wasn’t at all shy, and that was unexpected. You’d think a thing like that would be. That’s what it’s like—you want them to run away, given that they’re so secretive people don’t even know if they exist.’
    Susso put a pouch of snus under her lip and nodded.
    â€˜But this one,’ said Edit, sharply, ‘he didn’t run away and hide. Do you understand what I’m saying? He
didn’t run away
. And it felt as if, I don’t know, as if he wanted me for something.’
    â€˜Okay,’ said Susso.
    â€˜But I certainly didn’t want to find out what he wanted. I dragged the boy with me into the house and locked the door. Then we went into that room to watch him through the window.’ She nodded towards the side of the house.
    â€˜And then guess what he did? You won’t believe it. He came even closer. He was standing right below the window, looking at us. He was staring at us so intently I closed the curtain. I couldn’t
bear
him looking at us like we were looking at him.’
    â€˜So you saw him close up?’
    â€˜Oh yes,’ Edit said. ‘I had a good look at him. He was wearing a jacket with a hood over his head. And his eyes . . . they were the worst thing about him. It was like looking at an animal’s eyes. They were yellow, bright yellow, with pupils like slits.’
    â€˜Like a cat?’
    â€˜Yes,’ said Edit. ‘Just like a cat.’
    Susso nodded and looked away to the trees.
    â€˜And it was obvious that he was thinking,’ Edit continued. ‘He was standing there planning something.’
    After a few moments of silence she added:
    â€˜He had some kind of business here, you could tell that a mile off.’
    She shook her head.
    â€˜We didn’t know what to do so I phoned Carina—that’s Mattias’s mother—and when she pulled into the drive he ran off immediately. Straight over there, towards the Westmans’.’ Edit pointed towards the neighbouring house. ‘And since then I haven’t seen him.’
    â€˜And Mattias’s mother,’ said Susso, ‘did she see anything?’
    â€˜Carina? No, no.’
    Edit leaned towards Susso.
    â€˜And she didn’t
believe
us either. That was the worst part. She insisted we had made it up, all of it. Me and the boy. Even though I showed her the tracks he had left when he ran. Well, they’re gone now. But I took pictures of them.’
    Susso looked at her. This was something new.
    â€˜But you can’t see anything,’ Edit said, waving her hand. ‘When you take pictures in the snow they don’t turn out very well. It’s all white. Anyway, when I wanted to show her the tracks she got angry. She put Mattias in the car and drove